Relation of body composition to body mass index in HIV-infected patients with metabolic abnormalities.

OBJECTIVE: To determine visceral adiposity (VAT), subcutaneous adiposity (SAT), and regional body adipose differences between HIV-infected and non-HIV-infected subjects in relation to body mass index (BMI) and World Health Organization BMI categories. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Analyses were conducted of 306 HIV-infected and 107 community-derived HIV-negative subjects evaluated for metabolic studies between 1999 and 2006. Analyses were stratified by gender. Additional analyses were performed stratifying subjects by metabolic syndrome status. RESULTS: HIV-infected men and women demonstrated decreased total extremity fat by 1.1 kg and 0.85 kg, respectively, relative to non-HIV-infected control subjects. VAT was increased among HIV-infected men and women in the normal (18.5 to 24.9 kg/m2) and overweight (25.0 to 29.9 kg/m2) categories relative to control subjects but not among those in the obese category (> or =30.0 kg/m2). In contrast, abdominal SAT was reduced among HIV-infected men in the normal and overweight categories but was similar among HIV-infected women and control subjects in these categories. Abdominal SAT was increased among HIV-infected women in the obese category relative to control subjects. Similar results were obtained limiting the analysis to HIV-infected (n = 204) and control subjects (n = 89) without the metabolic syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: Peripheral lipoatrophy is a consistent finding among HIV-infected men and women with metabolic abnormalities. Relative increases in VAT are most pronounced among male and female HIV-infected subjects in the normal weight and overweight categories. Gender differences in abdominal SAT accumulation are observed, with preservation of SAT among HIV-infected women relative to control subjects.

Dietary fat intake and relationship to serum lipid levels in HIV-infected patients with metabolic abnormalities in the HAART era.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate dietary intake and its relationship to lipid parameters in HIV-infected patients with metabolic abnormalities. METHOD: We prospectively determined dietary intake (4-day food records or 24-h recall) in 356 HIV-infected patients and 162 community-derived HIV-negative controls evaluated for metabolic studies between 1998-2005. Differences in dietary intake between HIV-infected patients and non-HIV-infected controls, in relation to the established 2005 USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) Recommended Dietary Guidelines, were determined. The relationship between dietary fat intake and serum lipid levels among HIV-infected individuals was also evaluated. RESULTS: Assessment of dietary intake in this group of HIV-infected patients demonstrated increased intake of total dietary fat (P < 0.05), saturated fat (P = 0.006), and cholesterol (P = 0.006) as well as a greater percentage of calories from saturated fat (P = 0.002) and from trans fat (P = 0.02), despite similar caloric intake to the control individuals. A significantly higher percentage of HIV-infected patients were above the 2005 USDA Recommended Dietary Guidelines for saturated fat (> 10%/day) (76.0% HIV vs. 60.9% controls, P = 0.003), and cholesterol (> 300 mg/day) (49.7% HIV vs. 37.9% controls, P = 0.04). Saturated fat intake was strongly associated with triglyceride level [triglyceride level increased 8.7 mg/dl (parameter estimate) per gram of increased saturated fat intake, P = 0.005] whereas total fat was inversely associated with triglyceride level [triglyceride level decreased 3.0 mg/dl (parameter estimate) per gram of increased total fat intake, P = 0.02] among HIV-infected individuals. CONCLUSIONS: Increased intake of saturated fat is seen and contributes to hypertriglyceridemia among HIV-infected patients who have developed metabolic abnormalities. Increased saturated fat intake should be targeted for dietary modification in this population.